Community Consolidated Elementary District 181
Among other business Monday, board members:
• had a preliminary discussion about the estimated 2019 property tax levy of $64.4 million, an increase of almost 3 percent over the 2018 levy. Although the district is not required to do so, the board will hold a public hearing on the levy before approving it at the Dec. 16 board meeting.
• listened to owners rep Kerry Leonard provide an update on the Hinsdale Middle School construction project. About 99 percent of the budget has been awarded and about 95 percent of funds have been spent.
“We’re not done yet, but we’re in really good shape,” he said.
Work is continuing on the village-owned parking deck at the site, with precast concrete installation set to begin Dec. 9. After that work is completed in early January, the site will shut down until warmer weather returns.
• accepted gifts totaling almost $62,000, with Parent-Teacher Organizations at several schools donating a combined $61,981.
Board member Margie Kleber thanked the parent groups for their gifts. “Their generosity is really just over the top,” she said.
• heard a presentation from Andy Mace of Klein Hall CPAs on the comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019. Mace praised the work of CFO Mohsin Dada and Joshua Shoot, director of financial services.
“We see a lot of school districts, and this business office is operating at the top,” he said.
• listened as Andrew Dzija, a sixth-grade Spanish teacher at Hinsdale Middle School, talked about the success of the world languages program
• agreed to extend the lease on the administrative center space for five more years
Hinsdale Village Board
Among other business Tuesday, trustees
• held a public hearing on issuing $2.75 million in general obligation limited tax bonds to finance capital projects and refund outstanding bonds. Village officials report that issuing the 20-year bonds while keeping the village’s annual debt service and related tax levy at its current level, about $170,000 per year, would generate about $1.25 million in additional bond proceeds due to lower interest rates. The proceeds would be earmarked for capital projects in the village’s five-year capital improvement plan, particularly the pool and other improvements with a long-term useful life. No one spoke during the hearing, and the measure is expected to be approved at the Dec. 10 board meeting.
• approved extended hours for restaurants the night before Thanksgiving, as the board has done the last couple of years. All liquor sales must discontinue by midnight as they would for a Friday and Saturday. This is an increase of 90 minutes of service over normal hours for a weeknight.
• amending the village’s zoning code for special uses in the O-3 general office district to allow Hinsdale’s Normandy Remodeling to relocate its business to 11 Salt Creek Lane and operate a remodeling business and design showroom.
• were informed that the Illinois Tollway Authority has asked to remove the sound wall along Peirce Park before erecting a new sound wall as part of the Central Tri-State expansion project. The village and Tollway had agreed that the new wall be built before the old one was torn down, but officials from both sides agreed it made sense at that site to waive that provision. The section at issue is not adjacent to residences, and work is expected to be done early next year.
